Jan 31, 2018 3 min read

Name: D.L. Garrett

School: Jefferson-Morgan

Sport: Basketball

Class: Senior

Garrett’s Week: In an overtime loss to Frazier last Friday, the senior guard scored a game-high 24 points to go over the 1,000-point milestone for his career.

Needing 23 points to reach the feat entering the game, Garrett became the 14th player in J-M history – male or female – to reach the scoring milestone.

“It all started with my freshman year playing with Rece Hennemen,” Garrett said. “He was a leader. He was that always was always going to help you, pick you up and putting his confidence in you. (Scoring 1,000 points) is just something I have thought about and needed to push myself every day to get there.”

Hennemen, who also is on the list of the 1,000-point club at Jefferson-Morgan, finished with 1,446 points and is the second-highest scorer in program history.

Garrrett was the Rocket’s sixth man during his freshman season before breaking into the starting lineup his sophomore year.

Averaging 20 points per game through J-M’s first 19 games this season – the Rockets are 8-11 – Garrett has turned into the go-to guy for the Rockets.

“I’m more of a vocal leader,” Garrett said. “I get on my teammates, and sometimes it’s tough because they think I’m coming off a little tough. But I love basketball more than anything. I always try to have a positive energy.”

Good company: The first name on the 1,000-point scorer banner inside the Jefferson-Morgan gymnasium is somebody that graduated 43 years ago but it’s a person Garrett knows very well. It’s his father, Dennis Garrett, who has been the head coach of the J-M boys team since 2013. The elder Garrett scored 1,356 points.

“It was a very proud moment,” Dennis said of witnessing his son reach 1,000 points.

“I was happy for him. I have been lucky enough to watch him grow as a ballplayer and a nice young man. A night like that makes you feel pretty good.”

Having dad as coach is something D.L. has grown accustomed with. He realizes the coach has a more watchful eye on him at practices and games.

“He has been a big inspiration in my life,” D.L. said about his father. “He might yell at me more than anybody else on the team but he just wants me to be the best I can be. Sometimes it’s a pain because I have a lot of pressure. But I couldn’t have become the player I am without him. I couldn’t have accomplished any of this without him.”

Scoring is a gas, gas, gas: The younger Garrett was added to an even smaller and more exclusive basketball club. He is the fifth person from the tiny town of Pit Gas that has scored 1,000 career points at Jefferson-Morgan.

“We haven’t really talked about 1,000 points during the season,” Dennis Garrett said. “I just want the kids as a whole to compete. Getting them to compete is what my job is about. That’s a part overall life skills. Wins and losses are important, but maybe not as important as everybody thinks.”

Compiled by staff writer Luke Campbell